The political landscape has been shook up as Theresa May u-turned on a promise. The conservatives are were very far ahead in the polls, however that gap has significantly narrowed. Mrs May announced that she chaired a meeting of the cabinet where they agreed the government should hold a general election on the 8th June.

In the recent local council elections, Labour was trounced. This election holds importance in the type of Brexit the UK faces will largely be decided come June 8th. Most policies enacted by government aren’t as wide sweeping, and certainly aren’t as destructive over the long-run as leaving the European Union will be.

Therefore, it’s not only critical that everyone gets out to the ballot box. It’s also crucial the public make an informed choice on the type of Brexit (as well as type of governance) they want. Already many have felt the sting of food price rises due to a weakened pound. As prices continue to rise and real wages stagnate over several years this will only compound those at the lower end of society. The social cost of brexit is high, as will be the political cost of any government who commits to a harder Brexit in the long-run (withdrawal from the single market etc).

Public opinion can change and political parties would do well to remember that. The public should too. Should the brexit process go far enough along it may be very difficult to reverse without adverse consequences. The future of the UK hangs in the balance. The reality is only just starting to bite, when the Brexit pain really starts to dig in, it will be interesting who the new bogeyman will become. Will discourse simply deepen its focus on the other? With people saying we didn’t go far enough about rejecting immigration. Will it just continue to be the EU? The conservative, right-wing dominated media controls information in the UK at the moment, so I'm making my prediction based on that.

These are all pitfalls that will beset any new government, and could make them unelectable at the next election in 2022.

With all this in mind, choosing the next government is not a decision that any UK voter should take lightly. This is the most important UK election of the 21st century so far.

As a Liberal Democrat member, I've taken the decision to vote for Labour. I agree with many of the manifesto pledges (inc their brexit policies) of the Liberal Democrats, but I really believe we need to remove the conservative government from power. I'm going to vote Labour in the hope they will focus more on our NHS/Social care system. Nationalisation of the railways is also a big one for me, yet the immense cost of a lot of Labours plans do concern me. Economically, these will have to be paid for in the long run and could well shift to another generation which would not be good. Nationalisation is extremely expensive and I don't think Labours tax increases will actually cover the cost of such an endeavour.

All in all, politics and economics aside I believe we just need a more caring government, with less austerity, more state intervention and a rise in taxes along with more public servants (tax inspectors) to chase tax evaders (big and small)

"Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist. Madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back" - John Maynard Keynes

Our communities are broken. The NHS is a total shambles, our rail services differ massively depending on what part of the country you are in.

Brexit will leave Northern regions poorer and I really don't trust the Tories with Brexit or looking out for the common man. Whoever becomes prime minister will be doomed to fail with the hot potato that is Brexit. The country will get poorer either way, don't know when the country will wake up and realise the best deal is the one we have. Unrestricted access to a large, rich single market, sharing culture, security and other issues. Most of the Tories worry me by thinking we can do trade deals with far flung places such as Australia, India, China and still have same wealth we have today. As if distance isn't a factor

The lot of the Tories are clueless and Brexit and the NHS, Railways, Tuition Fees are of a big concern to me.